i tried to install the pass side first. with the motor sitting on the stock mounts with just the cross brace removed, the pass side header went right in it went right up to the head and i put 2 header bolts in to hold it in place while i check for clearance. it doesnt even come close to the motor mount. i can put my fingers between the 2 and still have room. as far as the header touching the a/c box, its not even close!
the ONLY thing it touches is the metal flap the covers the knock sensor. i have to bend it out the way of trim it. thats it for the pass side!!!

now i went to the driver side and after a couple of mins of trying to get it up in there i realized it wasnt going in
so i jacked the motor up a couple of inches and that was all it took. it went right in easy!! i put 2 bolts in to hold it, then let the motor back down. i checked for clearance and it touches the same metal flap covering the knock sensor. thats it!!!
it is close to the motor mount but does not touch.

i have to take them back off now to bend or cut the metal flaps on both sides and i will grind just a little off the drivers side motor mount just to be safe. it comes close to the part that bolts to the motor, not the frame. then i will put them back on.
they went on waaaaay easier then i would have thought and fit perfect!!!!!!!
the ground clearance is fine, they dont hang any lower then the TPIS headers did.
i took some pics for all of you to see.
now back to work

 

 

They look perty.

 

Awsome. Its great when parts actually work.

 

No need to pull the headers back out! I had the same issue with my knock sensor shield covers and all that you need to do is either bend them by hand or use a pair of needle nose pliers and you're good to go. Much easier than pulling the headers back out and the end result will be the same.

 

Getting REAL close!! I can't wait to see the results, and I'm REALLY looking forward to dyno sheets!

 

Thanks for passing on that information. It will be helpful when I install my EM headers. They look great. Let us know the happy ending.

 

Thanks for the preview. I'm starting on mine next week. Did you have to take one of the motor mounts loose to jack the motor up enough?

 

jonecap, which set of EM's did you buy? I don't remember jacking up my engine to install the EM 1 3/4's. Now those 1 7/8 monsters look like a whole different story.


-Mike

 

Those look sweet!

 

Mike,

I went with the 1 3/4 EM long tubes, so maybe I won't have to jack the motor up. Merle told me that I'd have to turn one of the motor mount bolts around to face the opposite direction. Did you have to do that?

Chris

 

Yeah, I remember doing that, just don't remember which one. I might have done both just to make sure.

 

i just took the nut off the bottom of each mount and lifted the motor maybe 3-4 inches and it went right up with NO problem.

i just bent the tabs by hand and it has plenty of clearance now and i grinded a little off the driver side mount and it has more than enough clearance now also.
i did remove both headers and cleand the header surface on the heads real good and cleaned all bolt holes. i put the new gaskets up to the heads and it matches the ports perfect. the gaskets are just a little bit bigger then the ports but the d shape matches up perfect.
and the gaskets match the headers. so i started the final install on the pass side and
i wouldn't wish the last 3 header bolts by the a/c box on my worst enemy!!!
especially the one behind the air tube on the header
but i finally got it. the pass side is all tight.
tomorrow morning i start bolting up the driver side up for good.

one thing is i don't know how i'm supposed to hook up the air tubes to the headers.
here is some pics of the mount i had to grind.

 

aboatguy, your in slidell now? slidell is @ 20 mins from me.

 

What? I thought they used the same type connections...

 

[QUOTE=GS977;1558228300]one thing is i don't know how i'm supposed to hook up the air tubes to the headers.

Those look like L98-type connectors, you'll need an adapter to connect our LTx air tubes.

FYI: The EM 1 3/4's have the LTx-type connectors.

 

how much are the em's?? are they a lot less expensive then the tpis?? i'm eventually looking to get a pair for my 86

 

In another post he mentioned the cost for the 1 7/8 at ~$1600, which is significantly more than the TPIS. But if you look at his other post, you can see the difference between the TPIS 1 3/4" LTs vs the EM 1 7/8" LTs. What is that old saying of "you get what you pay for"?

If I buy another pair, it will be the larger diameter EMs.

Aaron

 

the total price to my door was $1,625.00 for the headers and the felpro gaskets.
i just went and put the driver side on to try and get a head start on tomorrow. the drivers side bolts are waaay easier to get in then the pass side. and i used some stainless 3/8 head header bolts on the driver side because you can't get a wrench or socket on the 7/16 head bolts. it made a world of difference on tighting them up. i was able to get a socket on most of them. and the brace that goes straight down from the alt to the second header bolt.......... well you can't use that anymore it wont bolt up to the header. and i need a long bolt for the other 2 braces that bolt on #3
it should be all back together tomorrow.

 

Thanks for the info. From what I understand for a stock l98 1 5/8" are more appropriate than 1 3/4" or anything bigger.